Buttonhole-reinforce.



PATENTED 00117, 1905;

Am 2 1 w 8 m N BUTTONHOLE REINPORCEI APPLIUATIQN FILED JAN. 12, 1905.

\A/ETNEEEEEE iirr sr JAMES A. MAePI-IERSON, JR, OF TROY, NEW YORK.

eo'rToMi-ioLE nEmFoReE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1'7, 1905.

Application filed January 12, 1905. Serial No. 240,633.

To (LI/Z whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMns A. MAoPnnRsoN,

Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Troy, county of Rensselaer, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buttonhole -Rein forces, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to such improvements; and it consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described and subsequently claimed.

Reference may be had to the accompanying drawings and the reference characters marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. Similar characters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a view in side elevation of one end of a high-fold apparelcollar, the remaining portion beingbroken away for convenience in illustration, also a portion of the top being broken out to show the buttonhole. Fig. '2 is a cross-section taken on the broken line 2 2 in Fig. 1 on an enlarged and exaggerated scale. Fig. 3 is a cross-section similar to the lower portion of Fig. 2, except that the lower edges of the plies are not stitched together, but are opened outwardly for the insertion of the reinforcing-hook between the unstitched edges of the plies of fabric. Fig. i is a plan view of the improved reinforcing-hook detached.

In the use of high-fold collars of the class shown in the drawings it is quite the custom to make use of button-hooks for inserting the button in the end buttonholes. Such use is so great a strain upon the buttonholes that heretofore they have been either broken at their outer ends or put to such strain as to materially weaken them and cause them to break out in use or during the process of laundering. I have ascertained that such buttonholes can be protected from injury by inclosing the stitches forming the buttonhole within a hook comprising a shank approximately of the same length as the buttonhole or slightly longer and having on the outer end a hook-prong concaved or curved inwardly, making its inner edge concaved or hook-shaped, as at 25, so as to hook around the outer end of the row of stitching employed to finish the buttonhole, the other end of the shank being provided with a prong projecting laterally from the shank in the same plane with the hook-prong adapted to engage the stitches on the inner end of the buttonhole.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the band, and 2 the top part, of a high-fold collar.

The band of the collar may be made of any desired number of thicknesses, not less than two. I have shown the band in the drawings made of two plies or thicknesses3 and f and provided with a buttonhole 5, made in the usual way by cutting a slit 6 and'inserting the rows of stitching 7 and 8 on the opposite sides of the slit, as shown in the drawings.

These rows of stitching not only serve to finish the buttonhole, but to fasten the two plies together-entirely around the slit. The outer edges of the band are secured together, the end portion by a line of stitching 9 and the lower edge by a line of stitching 10.

The collar is first finished in the usual manner, except that for a short space beneath the buttonhole the plies are not secured together by the line of stitching 10, but are left unsecured and open, as shown at 12 in Fig. 3, through which opening the reinforcinghook 15 (shown in Fig. 4) is inserted to the position indicated by dotted lines 16 in Fig. 1, the hook-prong 17 being hooked around the buttonholestitches 7 and 8 at the outer end of the buttonhole and the prong 18 being projected beyond the buttonhole-stitches at the inner end of the buttonhole, as shown by dotted lines 16 in Fig. 1. The opening 12 is then closed by continuing the line of stitchinglOalong the open space, which holds the two-prong hook l5 securely in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. l.

The reinforcing-hook may be made of any known material adapted to sufficiently reinforce the buttonhole to prevent the ends from being torn or unduly strained either in inserting the button in the buttonhole or while in use. I prefer to make the hook of very thin sheet metal, such as aluminium.

The shank 20 of the two-prong reinforcinghook is preferably concaved or depressed along the middle portion of its inner edge, as shown at 21 in Fig. i, to permit the neighboring edge wall of the buttonhole to have some yielding flexibility to facilitate the insertion of the button.

It is obvious that the opening 12 may be located opposite the outer end of the buttonhole or any other convenient place, it only being necessary to leave some opening through which the two prong reinforcing-hook may IIO ' tonhole can be fully finished in the usual man- The buttonhole-stitches passing through the hook-inclosing plies will serve to hold the hook in the position shown.

I am aware that it has been proposed to insert the buttonhole-stitches through a thin flexible metallic ring. Such a construction would require the ring to be applied during the operation of inserting the buttonholestitches, which would be impracticable when the ring is inserted between two plies of fabric through which the buttonhole is to be made. By inserting an open hook like mine the butner before the hook is applied, which can be easily inserted, so as to inclose the buttonhole-stitches, and not in any way be inclosed by the stitches, and the hook thus inserted can be sufliciently open to freely admit a button through the buttonhole and can be given any desired form.

hat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with aplurality of plies of fabric united by buttonhole-stitches, of a two-prong hook inserted between two of the plies with one prong inclosing the stitches forming one end of the buttonhole and the other prong inclosing the stitches forming the other end of the buttonhole, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a plurality of plies 1 of fabric united by buttonhole-stitches, of a two-prong hook inserted between two of the l plies, and comprising a shank approximately the same length as the buttonhole; and a prong on each end of the shank projecting laterally of the shank, whereby the shank extends along one side of the buttonhole with the prongs projecting across the respective ends of the buttonhole.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a reinforcing-hook for buttonholes comprising a shank having on each end a lateral projection, one of which is concaved or hook-shaped on its inner edge and longer than the other, whereby the longer prong can be hooked around the buttonhole-stitches at one end of the buttonhole and the shorter prong subsequently projected across the buttonhole-stitches at the opposite end of the buttonhole.

4:. A reinforcing-hook for buttonholes comprisingashank approximately the same length as the buttonhole, provided on one side with a depression along its middle portion, and'at one end with an inwardly-curved hook-prong projecting laterally from that side of the shank having the middle depression, and on its opposite end with a prong projecting in She same plane with the hook-prong and on the same side of the shank.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this th day of January, 1905.

JAS. A. MAOPHERSON, JR. Vitnesses:

GEO. A. MosHER, E. M. OREILLY. 

